Buncombe County and MANNA FoodBank are ramping up relief efforts as thousands across the region brace for a lapse in federal food assistance starting.
        
        
            
                
                    Municipal elections may not be as big and flashy as presidential elections, but they're just as important. Get up to speed with our municipal elections voter guide.
                
            
            
        Helene Recovery
    
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State headlines
    
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                Judge Indira Talwani acknowledged this will leave millions of people without assistance starting Saturday. Two dozen Democratic-led states had sued over the administration's decision to suspend SNAP.
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                "67," pronounced "six seven," spread from a rap song, through sports and social media, to classrooms and homes across the U.S. But even the artist who coined it struggles to define it.
More local stories
    
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                        From late summer to early fall, hellbenders lay between 100 to 300 eggs beneath rocks. The park service says moving stones can destroy an entire generation of the amphibians.
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                        A federal grant named the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge as a replacement project after Helene — but town officials say the funds will likely be redirected to more urgent needs.
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                        Wildfire season is nearly upon us. September is National Preparedness Month, and this year Haw Creek is taking wildfire preparedness seriously.
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                        Blue Ridge Public Radio is collaborating with AP, Honolulu Civil Beat, CalMatters, and Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico to examine how school communities are recovering from the disruption of natural disasters.
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                        What you need to know from the Sept. 16 Buncombe Board of Commissioners meeting.
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                        A 26-mile section from Asheville to Ridge Junction Overlook is open again after Hurricane Helene repairs. Some trails still remain closed.
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